Kenya has confirmed a second Ebola case, intensifying monitoring efforts 10 days after a businessman who travelled to the country from the Democratic Republic of Congo died from the virus.
The latest patient is a 39-year-old man and close relative of the first case. He was already in quarantine when he developed symptoms on Tuesday, the health ministry said.
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The incubation period for Ebola ranges from two to 21 days, so people exposed to the virus can remain symptom-free for several weeks.
Health officials said the early detection of the man’s illness had increased his prospects of recovery and reduced the risk of transmission. The ministry urged the public to “stay calm but vigilant”.
“Both cases are linked, and there is no evidence of spread in the wider community,” the ministry said.
The first patient, a 40-year-old Kenyan man, died on 5 October after being diagnosed with Ebola soon after he was admitted to a hospital in Nairobi.
A relative took him to the hospital after collecting him from the airport. He had travelled from DR Congo through Uganda and entered Kenya without his infection being identified.
Officials have identified 128 people who came into contact with him. By Tuesday, 113 had been located, according to the health ministry.
Of those identified, 108 were in quarantine in Kenya, while authorities continued efforts to trace the remaining 15, the ministry said.
More than 4,000 people have died from Ebola in DR Congo this year, making the outbreak the second-deadliest known outbreak of the disease.
Ebola is transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids, including blood and vomit.
The outbreak in DR Congo began in May and is being driven by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, a relatively rare strain for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment, although clinical trials are under way.
